Tuesday, April 29, 2008

For about a month I have wondered about Tez's vision noticing him sitting closer to the television and doing a fair amount of squinting. Although when I would ask him if he could see he would always say yes. Tez's school had to start some new testing to reevaluate his IEP and placement for next year but discovered he needed to see an eye doctor first because he failed his vision screening. They would not resume testing until his vision problem had been seen by a doctor. Last Monday after the stressful Zoo field trip with Elijah and half of the area public schools, I took Tez to the eye doctor. I asked if he would be able to wear contacts and she said yes. I knew he was absolutely against wearing glasses and I said I would be willing to work with him to see if he would be responsible enough to wear and take care of contacts. Martez totally disagreed with me saying sternly, "Well if he needs glasses then he will just HAVE to wear them!" At his age short of screwing the glasses directly into his skull you can't "make" him wear glasses if you aren't around and Tez isn't exactly careful when playing sports. I totally disagree with this philosophy and since I have been in Tez's shoes at a much much younger age I understand the situation. I had glasses (very thick) when I went into third grade and wore glasses until my parents allowed me to try contacts at the age of 13. They bought me one pair which at the time were $375.00 for gas permeable lenses and if I lost them I would not get another pair unless I paid. I treated those babies like they were gold!!! I have since been able to switch to soft contacts which nowadays are so cheap - yeah - especially if you wear them longer than the recommended 2 weeks like I do! LOL I didn't feel Martez had any sympathy for Tez and I didn't feel like he really understood the emotional crap that comes along with a 14 yr old boy getting glasses. I am not saying glasses are bad in any way, shape or form but I also now how it feels as a kid AND I know better than him that kids will take their glasses off from time to time when not in the presence of parents. I also believe that contacts will be a better fit for Tez's lifestyle. He is VERY active and I am positive glasses would get broken or lost in no time at all. Seriously once Tez is out of my car and into the school building I have no doubt the glasses will be off of his face!! There is no visible difference when wearing contacts so if he will wear them willingly and can handle the responsibility then why not let him try. SOOOOOO we got him a trial pair of contacts and trust me the first 3 or 4 days of putting them in were a chore. He would get so frustrated and I would tell him "I am willing to help you learn how to put in your contacts but you have to stay calm and not give up until you learn or I won't buy them for you and you will just have to adjust to wearing glasses!" The mere idea of wearing glasses would make him readjust his attitude and he did better than I thought he would. The first day he came home all excited saying, "wow I could read the chalkboard from my chair!" It was also funny when he asked how long he would have to wear them and I said anytime you want to actually see the world around you. I think he thought he wear contacts for a couple of weeks and then his vision would miraculously be restored. Well it has now been a week and today I get a call from him all stressed out at school because a contact fell out. I told him it was no big deal just to put it in the case. He said he lost it and again I said don't stress out you have to go back to the eye doctor today for a recheck so she will just give you another one. Of course, his father freaked out more than myself saying see he just needs to wear glasses. I told him he should have a more positive light on the situation. I thought Tez would've lost many contacts by now but I think he has done extremely well considering he hasn't had any problems once they are actually in his eye which Martez could admittingly NEVER do!! Fast forward to later today......we get to the eye doctor and knowing the contacts have to be on for awhile before they check the eyes I tell them he lost his left contact so he would need a new one. He then informs me that he took out the right one after he had lost the left one and didn't bring it with him. I tell them nevermind he will just need a new pair to put on while he waits for me to be examined. So he sits and waits while I get checked then when it was his turn I was sitting in the chair watching him totally butcher the eye chart. I was sitting there thinking to myself why in the world can't he read this with his contacts in his eyes. I think the assistant thought the same since she made him reread the chart about 5 times and he really read it with confidence like it was correct! Worried the doctor took him in to have a look and she came out laughing! She said he took the right contact out at school however he never actually lost the left contact so when he put the new pair in at the office he then had one right contact and two left contacts in his eyes. Just goes to show more is not always better because it really screwed with his vision! I then was trying to get him to pick out a pair of glasses to wear when he wouldn't be wearing contacts.....wow that was a feat!!! I was getting really annoyed at his attitude and had to explain MANY times even though we would be buying him contacts he would still need a pair of glasses to wear at night after he takes out his contacts so HE CAN SEE!! Two and a half hours later......we decided on some glasses for both of us and I was so ready to be home it wasn't even funny!!!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

My boys are in my niece Mikala's wedding next month and we had to go get fitted for tuxes. I tried to talk her out of having Zay in it mainly because of his hatred to all group or professional pictures and the total chaos that happens after his meltdown to them. Just the thought of him having one of his meltdowns in the wedding makes my stomach hurt! Well the people at the tux place were not the friendliest. First of all I waited forever completely ignored after watching a salesman flip out on a customer that had already left. I finally find someone and she says, "I don't think I have anything that will fit him we only go down to a 3T!" in a really snotty voice. I knew it was my niece's wish and I was kind of ticked off at the lady's attitude so I said, "Well that will work out perfectly since he wears a 3T or a 4T." She then says, "Well I have no way of knowing if it will fit or which one to order." My response was, "then that is your problem but I would try on one of those 10 suits hanging on the wall behind you!" They tried it on and it was a perfect fit!!! She then thought he was too handsome and had to crack a smile! Elijah just stayed cool and calm since he only had to get measured but I can't wait to see him in a tux. My handsome little men!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Oh my goodness! Tonight was Elijah's school talent show. When they first announced the talent show, Elijah brought the paper home saying "Don't worry mom I won't be in the talent show because I don't have talent!" I thought that was funny yet sad all in one. However, much to Elijah's dismay two of the kindergarten teachers were joining forces and teaching their classes the ABC Disco and the Hip Hop Hokey Pokey. I will just say this: I was very proud of my boy and his rhythym AND I laughed my little heart out!!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Last Thursday I took the day off to chaperone Elijah's kindergarten field trip to the Tulsa Zoo; however, the field trip was cancelled right before we were supposed to leave because of the weather forecast. The kids were not happy and boy did I pity the teachers who had to listen to the whining ALL day! So they rescheduled the trip for today. With such short notice and so many parents were unable to take another day off of work after taking off Thursday, the chaperone list plummeted which meant those of us going would be responsible for more kids. Chaitra was unable to go on Monday and even though Avani isn't in the same class as Elijah she had to walk with me because she is allergic to everything on Earth and I already know about her epipen and breathing problems so Chaitra requestedAvani to walk with me. Sure I said and when I went to the nurses office to get the epipen before we left I did ask her about any unusual signs that I would need to use the pen because I am so used to her telling us when something is wrong but I thought I better find out what to look for in case she couldn't communicate. She said first call 911 because the epipen relief is only temporary so she will still need help. Dumb idea - it made me an absolute nervous wreck the entire day! When we pull up to the Zoo with our three BA buses I see about twenty other buses and realize there is going to be a ton of kids here. Ok so I was assigned to Elijah, Denis and Avani then I asked if I could have another girl so Avani wouldn't feel so out of place with the boys. Then they gave me Sarah and Paige because they are friends with Vani - Ok!

Well everything started out good then Denis began....."I'm hungry buy me food, I'm thirsty buy me a drink, I want to ride the train why can't we ride the train..." I didn't think he would ever stop. We were asked not to spend any money on the kids and that was a pain in the butt to explain every two seconds. The kid kept running off and driving me nuts because then I would have to drag four other kids around to find him. I stayed nice and calm until we lost him after the rainforest then I drug them all back in to find him and didn't find him but found two other stragglers who couldn't find their chaperone so I told them to stay with me. As soon as I get outside I see his little yellow-shorted-self far away with another group so I just yelled for him. The chaperones turned around and said hey you have to of our kids and I said yep and you have one of mine. They said "are you afraid of losing your kid?" I replied, "I am not worried about losing my child because he doesn't wander off every two seconds. I am more worried about losing another mother's child and having to explain it to her. But obviously that doesn't seem to bother you guys!" It just frustrated me that they didn't even notice they had a kid who wasn't theirs and were missing two of their own. Number 1 reason why I just prefer to chaperone my own kid. Especially on a day as full as this one....I have never seen this many kids at the zoo ever you would think it was THE ONLY day for zoo field trips!! I also realized I was the only one with 5 kids everyone else has no more than 2 even the teachers and I have 5 with one who has medical issues how smart is that!!! By now we are half way through the zoo and the entire time I am trying to make poor Avani stay within epipen stabbing distance and checking for labored breathing, swollen face or neck, swollen tongue, disorientation, slurred speech, redness, wheezing and the list goes on and on!!!! This is when I started to panic.........what if I have to use the pen and call 911 first, do I just tell them I need help at the brown bear cage at the Tulsa Zoo....why didn't I get the number to the zoo office in case there was an emergency they could pick us up.....how will I carry her running all the way to the front screaming and expect all the others to keep up (because I am SO fast you know especially carrying a very tall heavy 6 yr old)....I would just have to tell Elijah to stay with mommy and tell the others to either keep up or wait there for another chaperone to come along.....why me, why am I the one with five kids. In my moment of panic I hear kids screaming, I rejoined the real world to see 4 scared kids running towards me (the look on Vani's face was priceless) and Denis throwing rocks at the ostrich who now is running, flapping and pecking through the wire. Nice! Again why me!! At this point I am thinking I always thought I loved kids but now besides a select few I have decided I mainly just love my kids! Just kidding! It is at times like this that I realize and appreciate how good my children can be at times! Well I lost Denis a few more times...WAIT...I didn't lose him I just needed a leash for him since he kept running off like a rabid dog! All in all the day was good. It was more fun outside of the zoo watching all the boys play hide and seek while the girls sat quietly glistening with sweat waiting for the buses. I must say the bus ride home was STINKY but peaceful since it was full of mostly napping kindergarteners! I also must say I am glad I get to do things like this with my kids because my parents weren't active in our school and athletic lives and I have vowed: I WILL BE INVOLVED!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

I guess I made my decision and I must say for now I am happy with it! We brought home the Boston Terrier on Thur. the 17th! I sure hope I don't regret this. We decided to wait about two years then get another Great Dane when the boys are a little bigger and we will surely have a larger house by then. We decided "Martez and I" could wait for "our" dog and let the boys get something they can play with outside that won't run them over by accident. I feel bad though like I am acting like Daisy wasn't all that important and I am merely replacing her but then I think well you can't replace DAISY WITH A BOSTON TERRIER so that is a crazy thought!! I also thought it will be easier to add a Dane to the mix later. The first night was truly scary. Moose, our English Bulldog, was determined to EAT the new puppy. Seriously he attempted many times to eat his head. We could not put the puppy down and even holding him in our laps was a feat because Moose was still trying to attack him and drooling all over us. That is truly disgusting! Yes, Mel I was gagging!! Samson must know how unsure I was about this decision to bring him home because he hasn't had an accident yet in the house OR in his crate, he has slept all night in his crate WITHOUT crying and he hasn't been hyper!! Yea for him - I'll let him stay! Moose is fine as long as the puppy doesn't move - ha! Seriously though the puppy can only walk. If he tries to run or make any sudden movements Moose pounces him like a little rat!!

Until today that is when we finally heard Samson bark, I think he got tired of Moose always up his butt so he turned around yapped a little and Moose looked at him in total disbelief then turned around and walked off as if he had been hurt. Losing Daisy has been hard on Moose which is another reason we needed to get him a friend. He didn't eat for days after her death and honestly I don't think he had turned down a meal since birth. He has never met a food, toy, slipper, flip flop etc he wouldn't eat! He has lost weight which needed to happen anyway. Now he gets on the couch and to this day he licks where she always slept as if he can still smell her and misses her but that just grosses me out. So hopefully this will be a pick-me-up for him if hedoesn't eat our new family member!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Today was Isaiah's spring Music/Spanish Program at school. Now normally my children do not do well in musical programs. For instance in all of Elijah's programs at WEE he would just mouth words and yawn about a hundred times. I think everyone thought he never slept! Isaiah on the other hand would just sit angry, cry for me or yell when I would watch him. This surprises me because he has always loved noises and music but I guess he doesn't like people to watch him. Well today he was playing all of the musical "instruments" and singing only the parts in which you were supposed to yell! He is such a wonderful yeller! Must be from earlier hearing problems and everyone always having to yell at him to be heard!! His way of payback! He was so cute not really singing words but giving cute little sheepish grins instead unless it was time to yell. Then came some preschool song that went like this......"driving in my truck, driving in my truck.....green says go and red says stop".....now this is sung while walking around pretending to be driving then everyone stops at "stop". Amen! This song is going to be right up his alley. For those of you who do not personally know my boys.......they LOVE vehicles. Elijah could name makes and models of cars by the age of two and that is NO joke he followed Daddy's obsession and took it ten steps further!! It used to be funny because it would freak people out when they didn't believe us so they would drill him on cars driving by and always get about 90% correct!! That's my boy! ANYHOW onto Isaiah! Everyone at WEE absolutely loves Isaiah - he has them all FOOLED. Get this: they think he is cute, sweet and funny which yes he is but he is also a BAD ATTITUDE, YELLING, HITTING, CRYING DADDY'S LITTLE BOY!!! They were singing this song and walking around pretending they were driving and all of the sudden one of the moms says, "what is that noise?" Another one said, "Is that grunting or growling?" I reply with, "That noise is my son! That is his car imitation that he does about 95% of his waking mobile moments!" It was so funny because he would be making his car noises then they would all have to stop and when they would get to GO again he would make a "peeling" out noise. Cute and funny for others!! You see he makes car noises all the time: out riding bikes, playing with cars on the floor/couch, walking, running, walking down aisles in the grocery store.....you name it he is VRRROOMMMM it!! It is really cute to others but not so much to me anymore now I am just annoyed! It is like a low key growl, grunt except for moments of intense breaking or fast take offs! Lord help me! Send me a child that will play quietly with a doll!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Well as many of you already know our Great Dane Miss Daisy Mae better known as Daisy passed away on Mar. 31. I used to be one of those people who didn't understand why people got SO upset over losing a pet. I have lost many pets and cried over some but I was a wreck when Daisy died and still can't really talk about it in detail without breaking down which I will probably do now. I think this blog is more for me than any of you. I am having a really hard time "getting over it" and thought maybe writing/blogging about it would help. Working in the pet business since I was 10 I have seen many people buy new pets when one dies and that is my dilemna now. Do I or don't I? But first a little background................we got Daisy when she was 6 weeks old and Elijah was just a LITTLE 17 month old. She only came up to his butt and they were so cute together. Minor attitude adjustments were made by our two cats but we were all in love with our new puppy and she was a perfect fit. Elijah and Daisy were hilarious together both sweet, innocent, wobbly and clumsy! A few months later we thought we might lose her when she started limping and completely stopped eating. After many trips to the vet fearing the worst she was diagnosed with metabolic bone disease which in short form is basically growing pains and an imbalance of minerals. She made it and grew to be the biggest baby ever. Fast forward to 4 1/2 years later............Daisy was MY dog and she knew it. She was amazing! She was always by my side no matter what, seriously. If I went outside, she went or sat by the door waiting for my return. If I was going to the bathroom and didn't shut the door completely, there she was sitting in front of me repetitively raising her paw up to my chest for me to shake not realizing it was not the best time. I would tell her to get out so she would raise the other paw just in case I changed my mind. If I was home cleaning, she would follow me from room to room. If I was in the garage doing laundry, she was right there waiting for me. She could be totally passed out on the couch that she never learned was not actually her bed and if I left the room she would pop up and follow. She laid on the floor next to the bed that is if she wasn't trying to get on the bed. She slept with us for many months as a puppy NOT BY OUR CHOICE. I would wake up feeling trapped under the covers and there she would be laying between my legs totally paralyzing me between the sheets. Not funny I used to panic! I tried for months to stop it but she would always sneak up in the middle of the night. Soon she got WAY to big to fit on our bed with us but as soon as Martez would leave for work in the morning or if we got out of bed she'd pop up there like it was hers. I never seemed to make her believe it wasn't! She learned to let herself out to pee and then learned to open the door to let herself back in. Boy that really freaked out company! She later trained our English Bulldog to do the same although there are many times I wish she had kept that trick to herself!! I always felt so safe with her! She was sweet but people were VERY intimidated by her size and I liked that to a certain degree. I always thought if someone were to come in they would probably see her and turn around and if they didn't I honestly believe she would NEVER let anyone hurt me or my family. Martez could walk by and smack me on the butt and you could hear her nails on the wood floors running to my "rescue". She did that for any of us though.......sometimes I would smack Martez and call for help just to see her run and try to stop HIM when he was just standing there the whole time! Ha! If Martez and I were playing with the kids on our bed and we got too rowdy, there she was climbing up to stop the chaos and lay on us all! I won't lie Daisy occassionally was not the perfect angel. She would often grab stuff off the kitchen counters but at least she didn't climb on them because it was right at her level for the snatching! And the number one rule in our house was NEVER EVER leave your food unattended because she will snatch it and run out the door within seconds and you can't blame her if you leave it! One time she ran out the door carry a brand new box of cheese bread left on the counter and I think she got it out and ate it whole. Boy that was a hard one for Isaiah to learn!

She liked to play in the snow then track it all in no matter how many times I would shut the door she would just open it and go play. She often got stuck in bathrooms by merely walking in then accidently shutting the door with her hiney while turning around. She would then scratch at the door periodically until someone heard her. I always wondered why she didn't just bark. The scratches were nothing some Old English wouldn't fix! No matter what she did or how annoying it was to keep everything 6ft high, how many meals she stole or just annoying me at times for always being right there........I would give anything to have her back right next to me!!

Mar. 314:45am Martez leaves for work and Daisy is asleep.5:55am I get up and I normally get her to go outside then she will crawl into our bed and watch me get ready BUT I heard her go outside on her own so I just went about the normal morning routine.6:50am Now I am making the boys lunches and notice Daisy wasn't RIGHT there in case I drop something she is the instant quicker picker upper!! I thought that was odd so I call her name with no response which is HIGHLY unusual. I figured she was playing outside but she would come when she heard her food hit the dish.7am I put food in Daisy's bowl with no running response. I look out the back glass door and see her laying on the ground which is odd since she only does that when it is sunny. I call her name several times and I stand there thinking to myself wow she is so big. I noticed what at the time seemed to be hiccups and walked out there only to watch my big baby take her final breaths with me pleading for her to just get up. Her stomach was HUGE and hard. I felt SO bad! I was wailing and so freaked out! It isn't like I could just pick her up and take her to the vet. She was easily 150 lbs. or more! I kept calling my mom and dad with no answer. I just stood there bawling loudly wanting anyone to answer the phone. I was in complete shock and had no clue what to do, I felt helpless. I kept saying "No Daisy we have to get in the car!" I kept walking around to the side of the house so the boys wouldn't hear me and see her dead on the ground. I was so hysterical! I finally got ahold of Martez who in disbelief and total fear from me screaming on the phone left work to rush home. I then finally talked to my mom and dad and then the vet. I was so lost! I had no clue what to do. When I was younger we lived in the country and when an animal would die we would just bury it. It is now against the law to bury pets within city limits and even if we wanted to we would have to have them come out to mark the lines. Can you imagine the size of hole we would have to dig about 5ft by 5ft then however deep......we would have to have a backhoe. So I call the vet and ask what I am supposed to do and who to call.....here were my options as explained to me by the vet....1) Bring her into the office and they will arrange to have her cremated 2) I can keep the ashes in a "beautiful, handcrafted" urn or they will scatter them "at a beautiful peaceful" place for us OR option 3) you can call the city and they will pick her up and dispose of her AKA take her to the dump for ONLY $10.......I lost control spouted some unpleasantries at the poor woman and then quickly apologized. I just wanted her buried I didn't know how or where but I wanted her buried not cremated. I have problems just thinking about cremation. It is a personal decision everyone must make and people can fry themselves if they want but it is not for me well or Daisy.We finally made arrangements for Daisy to be buried at a pet cemetary......and yes nutjobs I have some issues with that simply from seeing the movie as a teenager but hey what was I supposed to do. We load Daisy and take her to the cemetary where we are informed he can not bury Daisy because he does not have a casket large enough for her. He said in 30 years of being a veterinarian and running a pet cemetary he had never seen a dog that large. I said so people don't bury big dogs and he said he hadn't even seen a Dane get that big especially a female. (I am quite sure by the way there are many Danes larger than her that have died and been buried!) Great now what! I explained that although she was a very large girl she was not always that fat in the stomach area and he said she obviously died of "twisted gut or bloat" and was extremely bloated but he had no way to bury her. They called another cemetary for us and they said they would take care of us. So we drove to Pet Memorial Gardens......a much nicer place than the first cemetary anyway. It proceeded to pour down rain get very windy and the electricity went off as soon as we got there. At a pet cemetary in a storm with no electricity......that situation seriously made me think of the movie!! SO we had to sit there until it all subsided and then the electricity came back on...Thank God b/c I don't know how much longer I could cope with my dog dying and having to sit at a pet cemetary with no electricity and really no way out b/c of the storm!!!! The lady was odd but nice she saw Daisy then said WOW she is big! I started crying and said please say you can bury her for me! She said well let me measure her......44in long but only from ears to base of tail (basically this didn't count her head) then 38.5in tall at the shoulder which doesn't include neck and head.....it was awkward because it was still raining and we were measuring her in the back of the truck. She then she measured the caskets....too small....too small.....too small....she thought she would be able to use the next to largest casket however she wouldn't fit so they used the largest casket they had which they had NEVER used before but thankfully only charged me for the one right below it and we had to pay for two lots. I know it sounds completely crazy but she deserved it. I never buried a dog in a cemetary before and don't know if I would again unless they were special like her. I cried everyday straight for at least a week then cried sporatically after that. I looked up her cause of death and bawled as it was described as "excrutiatingly painful" and most will die of shock. You only have 1 to 2 hours to get the dog to the vet and have the costly surgery done before they will die. The guilt just kills me. I constantly think why didn't I check on her when I realized she wasn't in our room since she was in there EVERY morning, why didn't I go outside before I did, was she laying out there just wondering where I was, did she cry for help and I didn't hear her, and did she wait until I finally came outside to take her final couple of breaths? No one can answer all my questions. Now I had the painful task of telling Elijah. He actually did pretty well as far as not crying but he brought it up constantly. Isaiah wouldn't be able to really understand and that entire evening he kept saying "Daidy outside!?!?" Then the next day as I was cooking dinner I could hear Isaiah outside yelling "Daidy comere honey! Where are you? Daidy where are you?" He then came inside asking for her and I attempted to explain she had died and he just yelled at me "Daidy not dead!" and walked through the house yelling for her and then outside again. It was sad but I had to let him look so maybe it would help him understand. It broke my heart listening to him. For weeks out of habit I would call her name, yell at her to get off my bed when I walked out of the bathroom, tell the boys to watch their plates....you name it I did it. I felt so incredibly stupid too! I don't feel as safe anymore. It isn't that I think something will happen to me I think I just relied on her to protect me if God forbid someone were to break in or try to harm my children in anyway. I always felt safe with her. I am sorry this is long but the point of me writing all of this is:Do I get another Great Dane? If so now or later? Will I constantly compare the new one to her and resent it when it isn't as good? Maybe a different color will help? Would I just be replacing her? I don't know. Then my boys saw a Boston Terrier up at the store and asked if they could hold it. Sure I said and that was it, they fell in love. I would never in my wildest dreams think of ever getting a Boston Terrier. Hello.....Angela and Terriers do not mesh well. I don't like hyper dogs. I think Bostons are bug eyed and ugly. Well we left the puppy there and hours later Elijah comes to me all sad and says, "Mommy I really like that puppy! Can I have him?"I said, "No baby I am sorry but I think it would be too hyper for mommy. Maybe we'll go look at some Great Dane puppies this weekend."He replies with, "but I want that little puppy!"I explained to him that the Boston won't stay that size forever and he would probably just want every puppy he saw that wanted to play with him. He then pleaded, "I want a puppy that will stay small so I can sleep with it and play with it and it won't knock me down." I said, "Well Daisy used to try to sleep with you and you didn't want her to!" He cameback with, "MOM she took my whole bed!" I just started crying! I guess I just assumed we needed another Great Dane but that little fart made me think. We are wanting to sell our house within the next year and find a bigger house so showing a house with a clumsy Great Dane puppy could be a pain. It would be easier to get a small dog now then add a Dane later rather than adding a small dog to a Dane. I guess I never really thought about life without Daisy. She was the most gentle dog and she loved HER boys however she couldn't really play with them. You see Daisy weighed around 150 but in her eyes she was a 10lb lapdog! She would never purposely hurt the boys but sometimes through excitement she would whip them in the head with her tail (which hurts) or knock them down unintentionally of course. They could sleep ON her, play ON her but they couldn't really play WITH her. Well the next day we saw the Boston Terrier again and the smaller of the two is actually really calm, cute and not really buggy eyed. He will play for a while then go off by himself to play then just crawl up in Elijah's lap and fall asleep.

Now the bigger one of the two Boston Terriers I believe is on crack and would never survive in my household but the smaller one is unusually calm. SO FINALLY HERE IS THE HEARTBREAKING DILEMNA: Do I get another Great Dane? Wait a couple of years until the boys are a little bigger and we have a bigger house? Do I get the Boston Terrier? Or simple a smaller breed dog? Can I live with a Boston Terrier? Do I get the dog my boys can play with then get a Great Dane later? Or will the novelty of the small dog wear off and the boys will quit playing with it? WHAT DO I DO?

I'M HOSTING FRIDAY HIGH FIVE! JOIN IN THE FUN!

What time is it?

We have been together for 11 1/2 yrs and married for almost 9 yrs. YES the halves count!! He is my best friend, partner and father to our boys! I can't imagine where I would be without him! We have both changed so much (for the better) since we found each other! He knows me better than anyone on this Earth and loves me regardless of my TWO flaws! lol

Elijah is our 10 yr. old kind hearted boy! He loves to play sports and he is our little genius! He is focused and determined in whatever he does. He is sooo loving and cares deeply about ALL things nature! He is inquisitive and can not seem to ask enough questions about history, wars, Indians, foreign travel and animals. He is so inquisitive you sometimes feel like you are being questioned by the FBI under a heat lamp!

Isaiah is our 7 yr old handful! He is ornery, cute but so loving that it makes him irrestible! He can be so ornery one minute then walk up and say the sweetest thing. He loves to play and he keeps us on our toes! He is his daddy's mini me in every way. So much so that sometimes it freaks me out. He has become quite the little athlete too and I think one day he will overpower his big brother who loves to push his emotional roller coaster buttons!!

Tez is my 16 yr old stepson who came to live with us in Dec 2007. He is fun loving, shy at first but respectful and friendly! He loves sports and video games. He has special needs but just needed lots of love and structure to reach his full potential.